232

The Loom of Language

dialects was the shift from k to ch (as in Scots loch) after vowels This
change is illustrated by (e) below Besides the preceding, other sound-
changes,, some of them much l,iter> now distinguish High from Low
German dialects (including Old English) The most important are

(/) The early slutt of the initial d to r

(/f) The initial 5 befoie /, m, n-> p, t, usually becomes sh as in tfnp (spelt

SCH except before P and 1)
(//) Between two vowels v olten becomes b

(<0

FNGLISH

tap

ten

tide (time)

to

tongue

two

(V) better
eat
foot
kettle
let
water

GI RMAN

/aplen

xehn

Zeit

/wei

INGUSH

book

break

make

lake (tool)

reek

token

weak

week

ta RMAN
Buch
brechen
mac hen
Rechen
nechen
Zeichen
wcich
Wochc

(0

path

peppei

pipe

plant

plaste*

(J) hope
peppei
pipe
ape
gape
sleep

essen

Fuss

Kc%el

last;en

Wasser

Pfad

Pfeiier

Pfeife

(/) dance
tanxcn

daughter
Tochter

day
Tug

dream
Traum

drink
tun ken

Pilaster

hotlen

Pfcilei

Pfeiie

Affc

gaffeu

schlaten

f/f) sleep
smut
snow
swan
sweat

(A) give
have
live
hvcr
love
sieve

schlafen
Schinut/
Schnee
Schwan

geben
huben
leben
Lcbcr
liebcn
Sieb

Some of the words chosen m these examples illustrate more than one
sound-shrft. For instance, we have to make two changes to get our
sweat from Schwdss When we apply (/>), Schwetss changes to Schwdt^
and this changes to Sweit when we apply (#), It is then recognmbly
the same as its English equivalent.
The geographical boundaries between regions where the older or
Low and the newer or High German forms predominate are not the